The Wardens Sacrifice
by Secret Companion
Summary: Fighting the Archdemon is tricky.


It was almost over, after a year of raising an army using the Grey Warden treaties; there she stood with sword in hand watching the arch demon across the roof waiting for her to deliver the death blow.

Melissa Cousland took off her helmet, and reached up to the back of her head wincing at the touch. She pulled her hand back and saw scarlet red on her fingers. She remembered how she got the wound. The old god's tail whipped around and hit her, sending her flying with the back of her head hitting the ground first. She could've sworn she heard the crack as it she bit the ground.

She shook her head trying to come back to reality. A cold breeze struck her face making her red hair blow in the wind. The smell of sulfur and death assaulted her nose. The sky above was painted red from the fires below. She looked around the top of Fort Drakon, elves, humans, dwarves, and darkspawn lie among the battlefield. Hardly anybody was left; a couple of Mages were healing the wounded as best as they could.

Melissa saw Wynne attending to an unconscious Alistair on the ground. She shivered looking back when the archdemon had him in the clutches of its mouth shaking its head back and forth like her lover was a chew toy. She charged at the dragon, screaming at the sound of his bones crunching and his armor clanking as he crashed in the ground.

To the other side of the roof was Zevran trotting over as if nothing was amiss but you could see his face scrunch up with every step he took closer towards them, He was gripping his side and favoring his right leg. Melissa remembered his back being turned when a hurlock came up behind him. She shouted at him to move and he barely moved in time but was cut in the process. Running towards them her only thought was that she couldn't let her best friend die. The hurlock was about to make the final blow but she pushed it to the side swung her sword and decapitated the vile creature. Bile came up her throat from the stench of the tainted blood splashing across her face.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the events that took place minutes before, she slowly made her way over to where Alistair was, her muscles protesting with each foot step closer. She knelt down next to him and Wynne dropping her sword before sitting down completely. He was unconscious and looked so peaceful.

Melissa knew that she shouldn't be doing this, the archdemon could wake up at any second but she had to say goodbye to the one person who understood her more than she understood herself. She took off her armored glove and glided her hand across his cheek stifling a sob that want to escape from her lips. If only she could go back to the night before and convince Alistair to do Morrigans ritual but she knew that if they'd gone through with it the consequences would be far worse than what their fate already was.

Wynne had told her once that being a grey warden would require sacrifice, that she would never lead any sort of a normal life as short as it may be. It always had to be her, no matter what Alistair told her the night before when they made love, the soothing words, telling her it'd be okay. He told her that she wasn't going to die not while he was still breathing but Melissa knew better. She wasn't going to let the future king sacrifice himself for her even if he was able to take the final blow she'd knock him out before it ever came to him being the one to die. Melissa stared at him intensely with her ice blue eyes wanting to drink in his features knowing it would be the last time she saw his handsome face. His honey-brown eyes opened half way and she smiled while caressing his cheek with her hand.

"mmm cheese" alistair mumbled in his half-conscious state

Melissa's laugh turned into a sob as she heard the arch demon begin to reawaken behind her. She turned to look over at the archdemon, Urthemiel, god of beauty; far from it that thing was one ugly son of a nug. She turned back towards Alistair, leaned down and kissed his forehead lingering a moment more than she should.

"I love you" she whispered into his ear tears falling from her eyes. "I'm so sorry"

She got up off of the cold hard ground and grabbed her sword She looked to wynne who had left them to attend to Zevrans wounds. She made her way over to them slightly touching wynnes shoulder making her turn around. Zevran got up off of the ground and made his way over to her.

"ah my dear warden, it wasn't supposed to end this way, we we're supposed to go to your wedding where I'd find plenty of women and men to win over with my antivan charm" he smiled sadly

Melissa pulled him into an embrace and tried to keep herself from falling apart. He returned it just the same, always being himself hiding his emotions with humor or charm.

"oh but" she said releasing him and looking him In the eyes "there'll always be men and women, no one can resist Zevran Arianai's charm. Promise me one thing though, never change."

He chuckled. "You can count on it my dear"

Melissa turned to Wynne and nodded to her once.

"May the maker watch over you Wynne, and make sure that spirit of yours behaves."

She gave a nod in return.

Wynne and her may have not always seen eye to eye but she respected her all the same in a way she reminded her of her grandmother, though she doesn't have many memories of her, she remembers the strong independent woman that had stood before her and told her stories of her mother when she was a child.

There was a loud pound on the ground and Melissa turned around quickly realizing the dragon was trying to move towards them. There was absolutely no way the old god was going anywhere but she gave him effort for trying. Her adrenaline was slowly coming back as she realized these were her last moments.

Zevran began to walk towards her, he didn't want this to happen he couldn't let it but as he was about to say something Wynnes hand touched his shoulder. He turned and saw her shaking her head slowly, eyes mixed with sorrow, pain, and maybe even a little regret?

Melissa would be with her parents again and hoped that when she saw them they would be proud of her for doing the honorable thing. She held her sword close in a fighting stance, taking a deep breath in she released the most threatening battle cry she could muster as she ran with adrenaline coursing through her veins. The blasted dragon struggled to get up as her legs carried her to it. Melissa looked the dragon in the eye and brought her sword above it's head with two hands and plunged it deep into dragons brain. As a white glow began to crack through her skin, she struggled to hold onto the sword. Her body felt her skin being ripped apart, as if a thousand knives were being plunged into her at once. She screamed out in agony as her vision began to swim, her body went numb and she felt herself falling to the ground as the darkness consumed her.


End file.
